III 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 188 

Celebrating the 75th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 2, 2023 

Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Mr. RISCH, Mr. SCHUMER, Mr. MCCONNELL, 

Mr. CARDIN, Mr. ROMNEY, Mr. COONS, Mr. YOUNG, Mr. KAINE, Mr. 

SULLIVAN, Mr. MERKLEY, Mr. RUBIO, Ms. DUCKWORTH, Mr. SCOTT of 

South Carolina, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mrs. BLACKBURN, Mr. SCHATZ, Mr. 

BRAUN, Mr. BOOKER, Mr. BARRASSO, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. RICKETTS, 

Mr. MURPHY, Mr. HAGERTY, Mr. GRAHAM, Ms. ROSEN, Mr. SCOTT of 

Florida, and Ms. KLOBUCHAR) submitted the following resolution; which 

was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Celebrating the 75th anniversary of the founding of the 

State of Israel, and for other purposes. 

Whereas May 14, 2023, marks the 75th anniversary of the 

establishment of the State of Israel; 

Whereas May 11, 2023, marks the 74th anniversary of 

Israel’s membership in the United Nations; 

Whereas, on September 21, 1922, President Warren G. Harding signed House Joint Resolution 322, after unanimous 

support from the House of Representatives and the Senate, endorsing the Balfour Declaration establishing a national home for the Jewish people; 


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•SRES 188 IS 

Whereas, on May 14, 1948, the people of Israel proclaimed 

the establishment of the sovereign and independent State 

of Israel; 

Whereas, on May 14, 1948, President Harry S. Truman, on 

behalf of the United States, was the first foreign leader 

to recognize the Jewish government of the State of 

Israel; 

Whereas the establishment of the State of Israel realized the 

right of the Jewish people to self-determination and is an 

outgrowth of the existence of the historic and ancestral 

kingdom of Israel established in the land of Israel 3,000 

years ago with Jerusalem as its capital; 

Whereas the establishment of the modern State of Israel as 

a homeland for the Jews followed the slaughter of more 

than 6,000,000 Jews during the Holocaust; 

Whereas the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of 

Israel, proclaimed on May 14, 1948, states, in part, 

‘‘THE STATE OF ISRAEL will be open for Jewish immigration and for the Ingathering of the Exiles; it will 

foster the development of the country for the benefit of 

all its inhabitants; it will be based on freedom, justice 

and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel; it will 

ensure complete equality of social and political rights to 

all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it 

will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, 

education and culture; it will safeguard the Holy Places 

of all religions; and it will be faithful to the principles of 

the Charter of the United Nations.’’; 

Whereas, to preserve these values and the institutions of 

Israeli democracy, Israel has enacted and amended the 


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•SRES 188 IS 

Basic Laws of Israel, which provide the foundation of 

Israel’s democratic system; 

Whereas Israel is home to a vibrant Arab community, comprising an estimated 20 percent of Israel’s population 

and possessing equal rights under Israeli law; 

Whereas the people of Israel have established a pluralistic 

democratic political system, including freedom of speech, 

a free press, free, fair, and open elections, the rule of 

law, and other democratic principles and practices; 

Whereas Israel— 

(1) offers invaluable contributions to the international community, including humanitarian aid, entrepreneurship, cybersecurity, military weaponry, counterterrorism, airport security, agriculture, water management, 

arid-zone farming, medical advances, natural gas, and 

other technologies; and 

(2) will promote a positive vision for emerging technologies that is anchored by democratic values; 

Whereas robust bilateral ties with Israel— 

(1) contribute to the security interests of the United 

States; 

(2) produce security, economic, and cultural benefits 

in the region; 

(3) increase regional integration and stability; and 

(4) build confidence with respect to peace negotiations; 

Whereas Israel— 

(1) maintains diplomatic relations with 166 of the 

193 member states of the United Nations; and 

(2) retains 80 resident embassies, 21 consulates general, and 7 special missions globally; 


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Whereas Israel maintains free trade agreements with the 

United States, members of the European Union, members of the European Free Trade Association, Canada, 

Mexico, Ukraine, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and 

other nation states; 

Whereas, in 1987, the United States Government designated 

Israel as a major non-NATO ally; 

Whereas, in 2014, the United States Government designated 

Israel as a major strategic partner; 

Whereas, on March 26, 1979, the Arab Republic of Egypt 

signed a peace treaty with Israel, becoming the first Arab 

country to establish full, normalized, diplomatic relations 

with the State of Israel; 

Whereas, on October 26, 1994, the Hashemite Kingdom of 

Jordan signed a peace treaty with Israel, becoming the 

second Arab country to normalize ties with Israel; 

Whereas security coordination between the State of Israel 

and the Palestinian National Authority promotes stability 

and is critical to deescalating tensions; 

Whereas the United States has actively supported and played 

a significant role in the efforts to bring about Israeli-Palestinian peace, consistent with the long-standing United 

States commitment to a sustainable, viable, two-state solution negotiated directly between the parties, resulting in 

an end to the conflict and two states for two peoples 

based on mutual recognition, dignity, and peaceful neighborly relations; 

Whereas, on September 15, 2020, the United States, the 

State of Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and the Kingdom of Bahrain signed the Abraham Accords, consisting 

of agreements to establish full relations between Israel 


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and the United Arab Emirates and between Israel and 

the Kingdom of Bahrain; 

Whereas the landmark Abraham Accords were quickly followed by agreements to normalize relations between 

Israel and Sudan on October 23, 2020, and between 

Israel and Morocco on December 10, 2020; 

Whereas Congress underscored in the Israel Relations Normalization Act of 2022 (division Z of Public Law 117– 

103) that the Abraham Accords, and related agreements 

and frameworks, ‘‘have the potential to fundamentally 

transform the security, diplomatic, and economic environment in the Middle East and North Africa and advance 

vital United States national security interests’’; 

Whereas the United States continues to build upon the foundations and success of the Abraham Accords by urging 

further normalization with Israel and by deepening regional integration and cooperation, including between 

Israel and Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, and the 

United Arab Emirates, most recently, through holding 

the Negev Summit on March 27 and 28, 2022, in Sde 

Boker, Israel, and the establishment of the Negev Forum 

on June 27, 2022, in Manama, Bahrain; 

Whereas, on June 27, 2022, the Negev Forum Steering Committee announced the establishment of— 

(1) 6 working groups that foster the integration of 

clean energy, food and water security, education and coexistence, health, regional security, and tourism; and 

(2) ‘‘initiatives that strengthen the Palestinian economy and improve the quality of life of Palestinians’’; 

Whereas the joint security cooperation between the United 

States and Israel in many fields, including intelligence 


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sharing, air defense technology, joint comprehensive military exercises, and cybersecurity, has proven invaluable in 

strengthening the national security of the United States 

and Israel; 

Whereas Israel faces growing threats to its security, including— 

(1) Iran’s advancing nuclear program and support 

for global terrorism; 

(2) terrorist threats from Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and Hizballah; and 

(3) other terrorist threats; 

Whereas the United States and Israel have signed three 10- 

year bilateral security cooperation and assistance memoranda of understanding in which the United States committed to provide Israel with security assistance valued 

at— 

(1) $26,700,000,000 during the 10-year period ending on September 30, 2008; 

(2) $30,000,000,000 during the 10-year period ending on September 30, 2018; and 

(3) $38,000,000,000 during the 10-year period ending on September 30, 2028; 

Whereas Congress has appropriated amounts in accordance 

with such memoranda of understanding, reflecting the 

two countries’ shared priorities in the region and the 

strength of United States support for maintaining 

Israel’s qualitative military edge; 

Whereas Congress passed the Nita M. Lowey Middle East 

Partnership for Peace Act of 2020 (title VIII of division 

K of Public Law 116–260), which supports economic development and peacebuilding efforts between Israelis and 

Palestinians; 


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Whereas antisemitism continues to rise globally, reaching an 

alarming all-time high during 2021 with 2,717 incidents 

in the United States and an estimated 1,090,000,000 

people worldwide harboring antisemitic attitudes, making 

self-determination and a safe haven for the Jewish people 

even more necessary; 

Whereas Israel has absorbed millions of Jews from countries 

throughout the world and fully integrated them into 

Israeli society; 

Whereas the United States and Israel have maintained a special relationship for 75 years based on mutually shared 

democratic values, common strategic interests, and moral 

bonds of friendship and mutual respect between their 

countries and people; 

Whereas Israel’s involvement as an active member of the 

community of nations benefits Israel, the United States, 

and all governments that share common values and promote democratic stability throughout the world; and 

Whereas the United States will continue to advocate for equitable treatment of Israel in international fora in the face 

of antisemitic bias: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) recognizes the historic significance of, and 

3 joins the Israeli people in their celebration of, the 

4 75th anniversary of the founding of the State of 

5 Israel; 

6 (2) reaffirms— 

7 (A) the longstanding and indelible partner8 ship between the United States and Israel; 


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1 (B) the unshakeable commitment of the 

2 United States to the security of the State of 

3 Israel; and 

4 (C) the right of Israel to exist in peace, 

5 prosperity, and security alongside its neighbors; 

6 (3) reiterates its support for a comprehensive 

7 and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians, 

8 in which both enjoy peace, security, and prosperity; 

9 (4) encourages the diplomatic recognition of the 

10 State of Israel and robust engagement with Israel 

11 from all governments around the world; 

12 (5) reiterates its support for the Abraham Ac13 cords, the Negev Forum, and all other ongoing ef14 forts to formalize and strengthen relations between 

15 Israel and its Arab neighbors in pursuit of a more 

16 integrated and peaceful region; 

17 (6) reaffirms its continuing support for Israel 

18 as a Jewish and democratic state that is com19 mitted— 

20 (A) to defending the security, freedom and 

21 equality of all its inhabitants, regardless of reli22 gion, race, or sex; and 

23 (B) to guaranteeing freedom of religion, 

24 conscience, language, education, and culture; 


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1 (7) reaffirms that the United States will con2 tinue to fight against antisemitism globally and 

3 against the efforts to delegitimize Israel in inter4 national fora; 

5 (8) commends the people of Israel for their re6 markable achievements in building a pluralistic 

7 democratic society in the Middle East; and 

8 (9) extends the warmest congratulations and 

9 best wishes to the State of Israel and her people for 

10 a peaceful, prosperous, and successful future. 

Æ 


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